Gnidia oppositifolia inflorescence

A Gnidia oppositifolia stem-tip flower cluster radiates its flower tubes outwards from the common base, allowing the four cylindrical looking pale sepals of each flower to spread without touching adjacent flower parts.

Above the sepals, the four deeper yellow petal scales or petals, if you will, are shorter and slightly ascending. Each of the tips seems to aim at an invisible flying target in a different, uncoordinated place, like anti-aircraft barrels would appear during an air attack. The thicker flower tubes below all these colourful protrusions are longer and hairy.

When first seeing flowers structured thus, one might give credence to stories of other planet origins, or artificial flower construction in assignments for testing imagination.